


Thief in the Shadows

by HallsofStone2941



Series: 13 Days for 13 Dwarves [10]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Compliant, Challenge: 13 Days for 13 Dwarves, Gen, Mention of a Battle, No Spoilers, Nori-centric, Protective!Nori, Self-Sacrifice, Spy!Nori, Thief!Nori, but we knew that already, if you hadn't guessed already, not death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-27
Updated: 2014-11-27
Packaged: 2018-02-27 04:52:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2679854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HallsofStone2941/pseuds/HallsofStone2941
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nori: thief, brother, protector, spy...not always in that order, and not always so distinct. Few would call him a hero; but then, even fewer know the whole story. He is certainly not a good role model, but, unbeknownst even to him, he is a good man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thief in the Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> Bit of (okay, LOTS of) headcanon in this one - it's Nori! No-ri, No-ri, No-ri! (To the tune of da-da da-da da DA! I don't know the name of the song, but I think it's the Conga Line)
> 
> This one is dedicated to Belsmomaus, who has been really supportive of these oneshots and has been looking forward to Nori for a while now. I hope I do him justice!

Dori thinks all he does is steal.

To be fair, he does a lot of that. Stealing. It's an itch he can never satisfy, only curb. He used to take things at random - the shiny brooch hanging half-way off the Dwarrowdam's cloak, the extra pouch with gold glinting out of it on the man's belt. Sometimes he used to return the items only to steal others, and other times he would keep them and resell them for ale or pipeweed or a bed for the night. Eventually, Nori had turned his thievery to good use. He takes food from the fat grocers' stalls and gives it to the children in the street; he steals from the other thieves and returns these items to their rightful owners. He rarely keeps his treasure, as he has no love of it; it is the thrill of slipping his hand into someone's pocket, of withdrawing the deadly clanking coins and disappearing before his victim even realizes they have been robbed. He lives for that energy, for a way to sate his ever-trembling fingers.

Dori had long ago given up trying to get him to change - to come home and get a respectable job. In fact, he barely talks to Nori, and never in pleasant conversation. But Dori does not know everything. He does not know that a few extra coins, which Dori often assumes are the result of a miscount, supplement the honest money he makes from his customers. He does not know that Nori always keeps Ori's scribe fund relatively full (without being suspicious, of course). Dori does not know that a few extra skeins of yarn and bags of tea for his shop appear mysteriously in the middle of the night; that extra pounds of meat and vegetables al the other things a growing Dwarfling needs find a home in their pantry without Dori ever remembering having paid for them. Dori thinks his business is doing well given Ered Luin's current state, but Nori knows better. Dori takes care of their brother and maintains respect for the family, but without Nori, they would be doing much, much worse.

* * *

He is much more than a thief in the shadows - he is the shadows themselves, moving and morphing to hide the truth in the dead of night. Technically, he works for Prince Thorin's captain, Dwalin Fundinsson. Of course, Dwalin does not know this - only knows the always-hooded spy that discreetly provides him with news of the comings and goings in Ered Luin, helping the burly Dwarf stop many foul plots before they start. Almost every time Dwalin throws Nori, the thief, in a cell, the Spy contemplates revealing his identity, but of course, that would defeat the purpose of anonymity. _Later_ , Nori thinks, _at the opportune moment_ (which turns out to be during the Quest of Erebor, and results in Dwalin choking for quite some time on the ale he had been drinking when Nori gives himself away).

As he watches the markets and roads for Dwalin, he also watches his brothers. Nori keeps a careful eye on Ori, always ready to throw his dagger at the slightest threat to his little brother. The lad is too adventurous, too willing to trust the world, and Nori silently ensures Ori's safety whenever he grows bored of Dori's nagging. Nori can hardly blame Ori, and as long as he is around to protect his younger sibling, he has no problem with letting the Dwarfling have a bit of freedom.

He also protects his older brother. Dori may be well-mannered ( _too_ polite, in Nori's opinion) enough to ignore his vile "suitors", but Nori is not. He will drag Dori's pursuants by the collar deep into the forest - deep enough that, if anyone cared to look, it would be very hard to find a body - and hold them at knifepoint against a tree. He takes twisted pleasure in seeing their frightened faces as they stare into the dark shadows, trying to discern his features beneath the cowl he always wears, and he threatens them, hair by hair, never to touch Dori again. Then, to make sure they know his threats are not idle, he cuts a chunk of their beard - barely enough to be noticed - and pockets it before releasing them. Then he will watch them flee, sometimes in the wrong direction, and, if he is in a particular mood, will toss a dagger into a tree near their face: one final warning shot.

They do not bother his brother again.

* * *

Of course, Dori never knows about this - never sees his middle brother as anything more than a disappointment, a wayward son of their beloved mother who can only be saved by the Valar themselves. He does not know how many times Ori may have been used as a hostage against Dori and his confounded good looks, or how many times they have eaten only because Nori gave them enough to do so. Sometimes he looks in on families and sees happiness and comfort, and he wants it for himself. But more important to him is that Dori and Ori suffer as little as possible; he had long ago forsaken comfort in the hope of always being able to watch out for them.

Like now.

The battle is chaotic and grim, and though Nori has never seen something of this scale, he has seen and heard too much of the world to be surprised. But Dori...ironically, Dori is uneducated. Unprepared. And, like usual, so preoccupied with protecting Ori that he does not consider taking care of himself.

Nori has lost dagger after dagger saving Dori's hide; his brother is always watching Ori and never his own back, and Nori is getting quite frustrated with it. He has resorted to close-combat weapons, which he personally hates. Why risk death by nearing your enemy when you can destroy them from afar? But now he has no choice, and circles around and around, helping as many allies as he can while always keeping an eye on his brothers.

Nori is all but back to back with Dori, though his elder brother does not notice (he never notices). An Orc moves to bring its massive club down on Dori's head...and Nori is there, blocking it with his left arm, his sword held awkwardly (did he mention he does not like close-range weapons?) and falling useless as the club shatters his forearm. But Nori grabs one last dagger and twists it straight through to the Orc's spine, ending its miserable existence immediately.

Nori falls silently, gritting his teeth against the pain. His arm throbs, and he is fairly certain he can see bone. The battle still rages, though, and to rest means to die. He holds his left arm close to his chest and bears his sword in front of him. Before charging into the fray once more, he looks back at his elder brother. Dori is fighting fiercely, all but standing in front of Ori as Orcs bear down on them. There is nothing in his eyes - no glance in Nori's direction, no worry - that indicates Dori knew how close he had come to death. It is clear to Nori that, once again, his efforts go unnoticed.

* * *

The healer tries to slip Nori a sleeping potion, but the Spy is too clever for such tricks. His arm is bound and bandaged, and should heal just fine so long as he does not agitate it. So Nori pretends to drink the "tea" and pretends to fall asleep, and is up and out of his tent as soon as the healer leaves.

He finds Dori and Ori overlooking the camp, huddled together against the wind. He can guess what they are both thinking - can deduce Ori's grief, can recognize Dori's desire to shelter their younger brother from the world. He can also see that they are both uninjured - physically, at least. Before they notice his presence, Nori slips away and returns to the camp. A spy's job is never over, and nothing - not injury, not loss, not grief or cold or weariness - can get in the way of that duty.

As the dark figure climbs its way down the precarious slope, a silver-haired Dwarf watches it out of the corner of his eye, praying to Mahal to keep his brother safe as he continues to sacrifice himself for others.

**Author's Note:**

> I had a much easier time with this one - and I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out! Poor Nori's really misunderstood.


End file.
